Daiwa Energy Co Ltd is currently building a mega (large-scale) solar power plant with an output capacity of about 1.8MW in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

Daiwa Energy (Osaka City) is a subsidiary of Daiwa House Industry Co Ltd and a power producer for renewable energy-based power generation facilities. The construction site is located on the property of "Royal City Kirishima Myokendai," a residential district surrounded by greenery with hot springs, which Daiwa House Industry is selling in lots.

Royal City Kirishima Myokendai is a housing subdivision developed on a 200m-high hillock from which Kirishima Mountains can be seen. It is about an 18-minute drive (about 11.9km away) from Kagoshima Airport. According to Daiwa House Industry, the housing subdivision offers an environment that allows to live in a relaxed way in a forest. The company is offering 241 lots including those that have already been sold.

The mega solar plant is being constructed on about 11ha of land in the housing subdivision measuring about 80ha. Of the 11ha area, solar power generation facilities including solar panels will occupy about 3ha. The construction of the plant is scheduled to be completed in July 2014.

In March 2014, Daiwa Energy started operations of "Dream Solar Kirishima Hayato," a 2.65MW solar power plant, on the site of the former Kagoshima Plant of Daiwa House Industry in Kirishima City (See related article).

This time, as in the case of Dream Solar Kirishima Hayato, Daiwa Energy employed Sharp Corp's solar panel and Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corp's (TMEIC) PV inverter. Also, for the foundations that support panels and mounting systems, the company adopted "D-Tec Pile," the Daiwa House group's own construction method using steep pipe piles.

The new mega solar plant is being constructed on part of the land that was originally planned to be sold as a housing subdivision. In the area, roads, drainage channels, water supply and sewerage systems and hot springs have been completed. Because of this, Daiwa Energy ensured that those facilities do not affect construction work and it is possible to install as many solar panels as possible.

Also, because the land is partially undulating, Daiwa Energy made sure that the heights of solar panels in each row become the same by changing the depth to which a pile is buried.